Uncancel the minutemen: Celebrate Lexington and Concord heroes, Black and White, on battle's 250th anniversary

Now is the cleanable clip to uncancel the minutemen, the Revolutionary War marksmen who were acceptable to support their towns astatine a moment’s notice. 

This week marks the 250th day of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, wherever Massachusetts minutemen fought connected April 18-19, 1775, to support these towns against British soldiers who tried to prehend their guns and gunpowder.

In caller years, however, immoderate person tried to cancel the heroic minutemen.

The Battle of Lexington and Concord, which marked the opening of the American War of Independence, April 19, 1775. (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

In August 2023, Fox News reported that California’s Concord High School had canceled its mascot, the minutemen, due to the fact that the school’s enactment believed that number students could not subordinate to these Revolutionary War heroes based connected race. 

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Applying individuality authorities to the minutemen is debased. Why? Black men served arsenic minutemen. One of them was Peter Salem, who ran from his location town, Framingham, to combat astatine the Battle of Concord alongside Lawson Buckminster, the antheral who’d freed him from slavery. 

Salem’s communicative is featured successful the caller movie, "The American Miracle," which volition beryllium successful theaters June 9-11, 2025. The writer of this nonfiction is an on-camera student successful the film.

Unfortunately, Americans person go progressively debased astir their nation’s history, particularly astir America’s founding era. The past Hollywood diagnostic movie astir the American Revolution was released much than 20 years ago, Mel Gibson’s "The Patriot." 

Hundreds of assemblage militia reenactors march successful enactment during the Battle Road reenactment astatine Minute Man National Historical Park successful Lincoln, Massachusetts, connected April 15, 2023. The reenactment recounts the conflict that instantly followed the Battle of Lexington and Concord connected April 19, 1775. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Nationwide protests successful 2020 attacked sculptures of American heroes, including George Washington and different founders from the era. Most telling of all, however, is simply a unspeakable statistic. Only 13% of eighth graders are proficient successful American history, according to a 2023 U.S. Department of Education report.

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In 1772, John Adams, who aboriginal became America’s 2nd president, warned his chap Bostonians astir debasing and corrupting the colonisation done distorted perspectives. He believed that tyranny would flourish if lies, alternatively of truth, permeated the people’s knowing of important topics. 

"The preservation of liberty depends upon the intelligence and motivation quality of the people. As agelong arsenic cognition and virtuousness are diffused mostly among the assemblage of a nation, it is intolerable they should beryllium enslaved. This tin beryllium brought to walk lone by debasing their understandings oregon by corrupting their hearts," Adams wrote.

Adams was correct. The emergence of cancel civilization successful the United States has led to distorted perspectives of America’s history. Americans person go debased. Truth has been distorted. Grievance has replaced gratitude. Fortunately, the nation’s 250th day provides an accidental for Americans to renew their knowing of the sacrifices made for liberty during the American Revolution. 

A keffiyeh is wrapped astir the caput of a statue of George Washington during anti-Israel protests astatine George Washington University connected May 3, 2024, successful Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

At 10 o’clock astatine nighttime connected April 18, 1775, messengers, specified arsenic silversmith Paul Revere, rode connected horseback passim the Massachusetts countryside to pass residents that British soldiers were marching toward them. 

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Revere was tasked with going "to Lexington and pass Mr. Samuel Adams and the Honorable John Hancock that determination was a fig of soldiers composed of the airy troops and grenadiers marching... to Lexington or... to Concord." 

Adams and Hancock were the leaders of the Sons of Liberty. Revere ordered 2 lanterns to bent successful the steeple of Old North Church to awesome patriots crossed the h2o successful Charlestown that British soldiers were crossing the stream alternatively of traveling solely connected land.

In a deposition, Paul Revere described the infinitesimal that helium was captured by a British serviceman during his midnight ride. The Briton "clapped his pistol to my caput and said helium was going to inquire maine immoderate questions and if I did not archer the truth, helium would stroke my brains out. I replied that... I would archer the truth, for I was not afraid." 

Colonial militia reenactors occurrence a salvo astatine British regular militia reenactors during the Battle Road reenactment astatine Minute Man National Historical Park successful Lincoln, Massachusetts connected April 15, 2023. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

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Forced to thrust with British officers, Revere heard gunfire erstwhile they were astir a fractional a mile from Lexington. Eventually, the British fto him go, but not earlier cutting the saddle disconnected his horse. 

Thanks to Revere and different messengers, dozens of minutemen rushed to Lexington and Concord to forestall the British from capturing their gunpowder stores. 

The information of Black men serving arsenic minutemen has been disposable for decades. Ardent abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution" successful 1855. Believing that "courage and bravery" are of nary "particular contention oregon complexion," Stowe was known for penning "Uncle Tom’s Cabin," which played a relation successful the commencement of the Civil War. 

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"In Colored Patriots," Stowe reported connected the galore Black men who contributed to the American Revolution. In summation to Peter Salem, she pointed retired that Henry Hill and Toney Proctor were besides Black men who fought astatine the Battle of Lexington and respective different battles. 

Thanks to Revere and different messengers, dozens of minutemen rushed to Lexington and Concord to forestall the British from capturing their gunpowder stores. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Lemuel Haynes, a Black antheral from Connecticut, joined the service aft the Battle of Lexington. As galore arsenic 5,000 achromatic men fought passim the American Revolution successful assorted capacities. 

Stowe besides wrote astir Peter Salem’s heroism connected June 17, 1775, astatine the Battle of Bunker Hill, which besides turns 250 this year.

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"Major Pitcairn caused the archetypal effusion of humor astatine Lexington," she explained astir the British large who ordered his men to sprout astatine the patriots astatine the Battle of Lexington. At the Battle of Bunker Hill 2 months later, "a achromatic worker named Salem shot him (Pitcairn) through, and helium fell.…. and helium (Salem) was presented to (General) Washington arsenic having performed this feat."

To observe America’s 250th day of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Two Lights for Tomorrow,  is calling connected each Americans to bent 2 lights successful their windows crossed the federation connected April 18. It’s clip to un-cancel the minutemen and commemorate the heroes of Lexington and Concord, specified arsenic Paul Revere and Peter Salem.

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